Brownsea through a variety of lenses

Both my sons have been showing an interest in photography lately so I've been digging out old camera bodies and lenses in the hope of encouraging them. I am thinking that if I can get them hooked now, I will have someone to drive me round in my old age while I sit in the back barking directions. The novelty of having their own cameras helped persuade them that a day trip to Brownsea yesterday would be a good idea, as opposed to their normal Saturday morning routine of slaying elf-lizards on Skyrim.

Taking the slightly complex but more scenic route from Wareham around the south side of Poole Harbour, over on the Studland ferry as foot passengers and to Brownsea via the famous yellow boat from Sandbanks, we got the first one of the morning and were in the hides overlooking the lagoon shortly before 1030. Large numbers of waders were present, the most numerous being Oystercathcer, Black-tailed Godwit and Avocet, flocks of which are building up for the winter.

Two Curlew Sandpipers close in to the Low Hide with a Dunlin behind

Juvenile Curlew Sandpiper on the right with characteristic peachy wash on the breast - with Dunlin for comparison

A very smart wader

Another juvenile Curlew Sand - the peach colouration has faded on this one

Much scarcer among the waders were a few each of Ruff and Curlew Sandpiper, both of which eventually came in close to the hides having initially been viewable only distantly through the telescope. A dozen Spotted Redshank were also hanging out with the Redshank flock.

Spotted Redshank - one of a dozen present

Avocet - part of a flock of almost 200

Black-tailed Godwit - a scaly-backed juvenile

A couple of Ruff were secreted amongst the Godwits

In truth, despite my efforts to tool them up with half-decent camera gear, the boys didn't take many photos of birds - they spent most of the time at opposite ends of the generously appointed hides photographing each other, or spraying imaginary bullets around using the camera's high speed burst mode to simulate semi-automatic assault rifles. Charming. But they did seem to appreciate the compelling nature of wildlife photography eventually when a tame Red Squirrel allowed a close approach near the Villa. A kindly soul had left a few nuts out and it kept returning to eat a few and bury the rest.

A flock of at least 25 Spoonbill was present - looking unusually awake here...

...and even more lively here

Red Squirrel

A slightly messy eater

Island hopping

Spent the last two days of the long Easter weekend enjoying the dry weather on two of Dorset's finest pieces of birding real estate - Brownsea and Portland - and bulking up the photo list for the year which had been reduced to a slow crawl in recent weeks. Highlights from the trip with the family to Brownsea below, Portland to follow.

Avocets enjoying a private moment on the lagoon

Bar-tailed Godwit close in front of the hide

Here a winter plumaged Black-tailed Godwit for comparison

And a breeding plumaged Blackwit

Greenshank

Distant flock of Grey Plover (#138)

Three species of shank in this photo - (L to R) red, green and spotted red - believe it or not, we haven't had Redshank yet this year (#139)

Spotshank moulting to breeding plumage

The Black-tailed Godwit flock against Poole's urban backdrop

Many twitchers spent the weekend in Bedfordshire looking for what may be the last Lady Amherst's Pheasant surviving in the wild in Britain following their introduction in the 1900s. So if that's tickable, why aren't the Brownsea peacocks? 

Peacocks doing their bit to get themselves added to Cat C

Sandwich Terns are returning but not yet settled on the tern islands (#140)

Shelduck are also pairing up - this a male

This young colour-ringed Spoonbill was the only one on Brownsea on Sunday

Spoonbill

No visit to Brownsea would be complete without Red Squirrels

They seemed to be everywhere on Sunday

Spotted Redshank

Questions, questions...

My 7 year old son loves to play games on long car journeys. Unfortunately, in the last few years he has also developed the need for a sick bag to be on hand during the same. Sitting him in his car seat in the front seems to be the best cure for the travel sickness, so instead of arguing with his mum about directions whilst I drive, long journeys now involve he and I keeping each other occupied with various competitive challenges.

The view from the window of our holiday accommodation in Northumberland this week: Red Squirrel

There's the obvious stuff like I-spy, then trickier games like the Red Kite game (who can see the most Red Kites first. Best played on the Winchester-Oxford stretch of the A34. Rubbish on the A31 through Dorset) and Car Cricket (choose a colour, then every car that goes in the opposite direction of that colour scores a run; four for a van, and six for a lorry. First to 100 wins. Or 50 if the traffic's quiet). When done with these, there's usually time for a round of Cheese-on-Wheels*.

But eventually he's had enough of these which is when the questions start. Yesterday, on the long journey up to Northumberland, where we are just starting a week's holiday, he announced 'I want to ask some 'I want to know' questions'. 'Is there any other kind of question?' I replied. 'Yes, there are 'I want to know if you know' questions'. A barrage of 'I want to know' questions followed, most well within my comfort zone:

Q. 'What's the last county in England before Scotland?' A: 'Northumberland'
Q. 'Where are we going?' A: 'Northumberland'
Q. 'How much further is it?' A: '378 miles', then, 5 minutes later, '4 miles less than the last time you asked', etc etc

Tiring swiftly of this, I encouraged him to switch to the 'I want to know if you know' questions, not quite sure what to expect. This is what I got:

'When was the first rainbow'? Followed by:
'Who was the first goalkeeper to die?'

And so it went on. I should have quit while I was ahead.


No 1 son also features this week, celebrating his 11th birthday with a water-sports party on the River Frome..

...proving in the process that you can have your kayak and eat it (Thanks to Jol, Secretary of the Dorset Bird Club, for that line. Proof that such high office needn't stand in the way of a career in comedy).

* The rules of Cheese-on-Wheels are too complex to explain here, but if you really want to know, ask any 7 year old, or email the Secretary of the Dorset Bird Club. He's a dab hand and thrashed me last time we played it on a twitch.

The privations of island life

I've written before about how one of the more miserable aspects of life in Dorset is the thankless chore of visiting Brownsea Island at least once a year. After the endless, gut-churning 5 minute boat ride, comes the relentless slog across at least 100 yards of boardwalk to the nature reserve where you are forced to sit and wait in annoyingly well-appointed hides for literally seconds before seeing waders and breeding terns at point blank range. Honestly, I don't know why I bother, I should just go seawatching at Branksome or something for some proper close-up action. As if all the quality birds on the lagoon weren't enough, during this weekend's visit with the family an impudent Hobby almost took my head off in a low stoop after a dragonfly. The cheek! And as for those squirrels, well don't get me started...

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwits

Common Tern in front of the houses on Brownsea Quay

Common Tern

Drake Gadwall on the lagoon

Hobby

Did a couple of passes and then it was gone

Stunning birds

Red Squirrel near the Church

Red Squirrel

Sandwich Tern

The colony is doing well thanks to netting erected to keep out Sika Deer

Yellow-legged Gull with chick

Common Heath

Shelduck